Pat Robertson speaks up once again

Once again televangelist Pat Robertson has offered his opinion on a controversial subject. Robertson was troubled by those in Dover, Pennsylvania who voted out members of their school board who favored teaching "intelligent design" in their public schools. Robertson even went as far as to warn the residents there that a natural disaster may occur as a result of this vote.

Robertson is known for his outspoken opinions and this comment is not unlike others that he has made in the past. When making pronouncements such as these, one must be careful, though. In a world where sin is rampant and disregard for God's laws is commonplace, who are we to say where and when God's judgment may fall? There are always going to be those that claim that certain natural disasters are God's judgment, particularly when those disasters hit people that they don't care for or that they disagree with.

I would encourage all of us to first examine our own hearts and the sin that lurks within there. We have all done enough to offend God personally for His judgment to be directed towards us. And if it weren't for His grace, then this would certainly be the case. When making claims to know the mind of God or speak for God (as Robertson seems to do quite often) we are treading on very thin ice. God did not comment directly on the people of Dover, PA or the people of New Orleans in His Word. Therefore, we should be hesitant to make blanket statements about things that our finite minds do not fully comprehend.

When Pat Robertson (and others like him) make comments like this, the unbelieving world entrenches its mindset of Christians as narrow-minded and naive. While Robertson is certainly entitled to his opinion, why does he feel it necessary to continue to make comments like this to a listening world? Does he honestly feel that commenting on this will bring those far from God closer to God? I trust that he will use greater judgment in the future in what he chooses to publicly proclaim and will choose to comment on those matters that enhance dialogue with non-Christians, as opposed to pushing them away.